1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a foamable aerosol concentrate composition, a foamable aerosol agricultural-chemical composition, and a method of controlling diseases and insect pests. More particularly, the present invention relates to a foamable aerosol concenrate composition suitable for horticulure as a pastime in which an active ingredient of agricultural-chemicals having insecticidal and/or fungicidal activities and also having systemic action through a plant body and a surfactant are dissolved in glycols that are liquid at normal temperature; a foamable aerosol agricultural-chemical composition including the concentrate composition and a propellant both of which are filled in an aerosol container; a method of controlling diseases and insect pests through spraying application of the foamable aerosol agricultural-chemical composition to stems and/or branches of plants to be treated.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, preparations of agricultural chemicals, such as preparations of agricultural chemicals for horticulture as a pastime, are used as formulations of emulsion, wettable powders, granules or aerosol. All these formulations are for sprinkling application agents. They exhibit their effects by being applied either with or without dilution with water on crops or insect pests and weeds to be controlled. However in these applications, large quantity of active ingredients are often wasted as they fail to reach crops or insect pests that are the targets of control. Emulsion, wettable powders and aerosol do not always produce favorable results in view of economic efficiency and environmental sanitation because of their loss at sprinkling or spraying and the adhesion of the agents to men, live stocks and useful things. On the other hand, granules are not scattered in the air, as they are treated on the surface of the soil. However, soil adsorption prevents active ingredients from being absorbed by crops and weeds as the ingredients are adsorbed by the soil. Therefore, large part of applied agents are not used effectively.
In contrast to these preparations of agricultural-chemicals for horticulture as a pastime, agricultural-chemical coatings, in which agents are directly applied to the shaft of plants, are known among general preparations of agricultural chemicals. Quantity of wasted drugs, which cannot reach crops or targets for pest control, is little in agricultural-chemical coatings. Therefore, it is a desirable preparation of agricultural chemicals for economic efficiency and environmental sanitation.
For example, a paste-like agricultural-chemical coating agent described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Sho 62-42902, in which an agricultural-chemical ingredient is mixed and dispersed in water or an organic solvent together with a film forming agent and a filler, is known as a conventional agricultural-chemical coating agent. However, foamy aerosol spray coating agent has not been known yet.
Recently, agricultural chemicals considering environmental sanitation have been demanded. Especially it has been requested to decrease the application amount of agricultural chemicals as much as possible because of environmental sanitation concern. However, sprinkling and spraying of agricultural chemicals have still been mainly practiced for controlling diseases and insect pests on crops and flowering plants. Agricultural chemical coating agents are desirable in the environmental sanitation aspect as one of solutions of the problem mentioned above. However, currently, it is practiced only for controlling diseases and insect pests of fruit trees. This is because its application needs spreading the paste thinly by the use of a pallet or brush and it is difficult to control the amount of coating. These inconveniences in handling keep agricultural-chemical coatings away from practical use as agricultural chemicals for horticulture as a pastime. Therefore, it is requested to develop preparations of agricultural chemicals which are easier to use while having environmental sanitation benefits mentioned above.
The inventors have invented the present invention by finding out foamable aerosol agricultural-chemical composition and a cocentrate composition for its preparation that have solved the above-mentioned problems. The composition of the present invention is used easily especially in horticulure as a pastime.